It's insanely cold outside. Or maybe it's my flesh. I seriously considered pulling out my winter jacket before leaving the house today, but I bring enough attention to myself as is. So, I shiver underneath my trench coat as we watch Seth's casket be lowered into the six-foot hole dug just for him.

Since the other night, Emma has gone almost everywhere with me. She's been worried. She offered for me to meet with one of her co-workers who's a psychiatrist, but I said no. I doubt he would be able to treat my hauntings unless he's an authorized priest. Hmm. Maybe the priest who lead the service does exorcisms?

Emma stands on my right and Danny is on my left. I look around at the many faces, expecting to see Georgia emerge behind them with her flowing blonde curls and billowing energy, but she doesn't. She's highly medicated at Sunnyside, which is bullshit. She needs a priest, not pills.

"You said they put his ashes in the coffin, right?" Emma asks, leaning close and whispering. But I guess she wasn't that quiet because Danny heard her. He glances at me. I nod at her. "Why not just bury him, then?"

I know why. They didn't want to see him like that. His brother Brent told me that they hadn't heard from Seth in a few days. We didn't either, but we were keeping our distance. When they went over to check on him at his apartment, they found him on the floor near his desk. He was completely electrocuted from head to toe. His body was black and blue and purple, and there were holes in his hands, legs, and stomach. When I spoke with Brent this morning, he said the coroner has classified Seth's death as a homicide — he said the markings resemble that of torture.

Brent asked me if I know who could have done this, and again, the answer is yes. But I couldn't tell him that a malevolent ghost did this to his brother. I'd get a room next to Georgia at Sunnyside.

I probably shouldn't say any of this to Emma, especially not with so many people around, so instead, I whisper back, "There wasn't much they could do to cover him up."

She furrows her brows. "Why not just do a closed casket then?"

I bite my lip as I glance over at his family. His mother is sobbing so hard, she is using her husband as support to keep from falling. "It would have been too hard, I think." I meet Emma's eyes. "To see him like that."

Emma closes her mouth and looks forward, her eyes glossy. It was hard for the both of us to see Dad in his casket. But it was especially hard for her. We were not ready.

I don't know if he could read my face or what, but I feel Danny's hand on my upper back. I glance over at him and he gives me a supportive smile. I smile back, but it feels sad.

Suddenly, there's a loud commotion on the other side of Seth's grave. His mother shouts and pushes away from her husband. She storms away. Storms toward us.

Oh shit.

I instinctively step back as she approaches us quickly, but she's much faster.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves!" She shouts, her voice echoing over all of the graves. In the trees around us, birds take flight. "If it weren't for you, my son would still be alive!"

A ball forms in my throat. Danny begins to say something, but she cuts him off.

"Your negative influence was what got him killed! You got him mixed up into devilish things, and look! My baby was murdered!" Her eyes bore deeply into mine. "I will never forgive you."

I gasp, tears burning in my eyes. "Mrs. Matthews, I —"

She points a finger at me. "Keep your dirty, devil words to yourself, missy!"

"Gwendolyn," her husband says lowly from behind her. He takes her elbow and tries to guide her back. "Let's go."

"Burn in hell!" She says before spitting on the ground at our feet as her husband drags her away.

My eyes shift around the graveyard, and all of the other guests are staring at us, whispering. My cheeks burn brightly, and I know we have overstayed our welcome. We probably shouldn't have come at all.

I look at Emma, whose hand is on her throat. She shakes her head. "That poor woman," she says quietly. "She must be hurting so badly."

"Yeah," I mutter. I glance at Danny, who shares a guilty, hurt look. Seth's mother is confused, but we're not. We know why this happened.

I turn and start walking away. I hear Emma and Danny call out after me, but I keep walking until we're a good distance away, and then I turn around.

"She's right," I say, my eyes on Danny. "It is our fault."

"Whoa," he holds his hands up. "We did not do that," he says, gesturing behind him.

I shake my head. "This is on me and Georgia. If it weren't for our selfishness, Jenna wouldn't have wanted to hurt us. She wouldn't have sent us to Grimwood. You didn't deserve this. Seth didn't deserve that."

Danny closes his eyes, and when they open, they're filled with tears. "I agreed to this, Claire. I was okay with faking it. I deserve the blame too."

"We can stop this," I move closer to him. His eyes search mine. "We can save our lives. Save Georgia." If she isn't already dead, I think, but I choose to keep that part to myself.

He shakes his head. "How?"

"Take me to Grimwood."

His eyes widen. "Now?"

I nod. "Yes. Now."

He reaches into the pocket of his pantsuit, and he pulls out his keys. "Let's go."

I turn to Emma, who looks so confused from trying to keep up with our conversation. "I love you," I tell her, hoping it won't be the last time. "I'll see you later." I hope.

She wraps her arms around me. "Be safe, okay?" She whispers, and I nod. I'll try.

Danny and I walk to his car, and I put my hand in his. He gives it a reassuring squeeze as we hurry. I don't know how much time we have, but it's all we got.

Current word count: 25,199